Reusing plastic bottles made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) can have adverse health effects, a physician said yesterday.
The warning follows a recent survey by BRITA, a German company that specializes in water filtration products, on the consumption of beverages from PET bottles in summer.
The survey showed that an estimated 2.62 million people in Taiwan purchase at least one PET bottle during summer.
Among the respondents who said they had purchased PET bottles, 86 percent said they had reused the bottles and more than 60 percent said they had continued to use the bottle after leaving it in a high-temperature environment, the survey showed.
Lin Ching-ku (林青穀), a physician at a family clinic who helped conduct the survey, said 65.4 percent of respondents said they had consumed PET-bottled beverages after leaving them in high-temperature environments, such as a car, backpack or scooter storage compartment, for a period of time.
Lin said PET bottles can release carcinogenic substances when they are exposed to temperatures 60oC or higher, but about 80 percent of respondents said they were unaware of the danger.
“About 70 percent of the human body is made up of water, so drinking water is important because it transports nutrients, discharges waste matter from the body and regulates body temperature,” Lin said. “Drinking a sufficient amount of water can help avoid symptoms caused by dehydration, such as headache, sleepiness and chronic fatigue, as well as prevent many diseases and maintain healthy skin.”
Lin said that if people have to reuse PET bottles, they should wash them thoroughly and keep them away from high-temperature environments.
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